Blind Japanese woman receives IBM's top award

TOKYO (AFP) - US computer giant IBM has named Chieko Asakawa as the first blind engineer as well as the
first Japanese female to receive the companys highest technical honour.
Asakawa, 50, was named this week as one of eight Japanese to win the title of IMB Fellow for her achievements
in making the Internet widely accessible for visually impaired people.
It is the companys most prestigious honour for an engineer, a title given to only 218 technicians in the
companys more than century-long history. Asakawas crucial contributions in the area of accessibility
technology have enabled IBM to become a worldwide leader in the field, the US-based company said in a
statement.
She has helped to establish awareness, both within and outside IBM, while leading the creation of technologies
that have changed the way disabled individuals communicate and interact.
Asakawa developed accessibility software called the Homepage Reader which reads aloud words that appear
on an Internet window and is now available in 11 languages including English and Japanese.
I am very happy about the nomination, Asakawa said in a statement. I will continue working hard towards an
even more accessible society.
Asakawa, who lost her vision as a teenager, joined the computer maker in 1985 and has since worked to
increase computer accessibility not only for the disabled but also for the elderly and novices.